Around the turn of the 19th into
the 20 century, Hamilton bay and its surrounding shoreline presented a bleak,
cold and rather forlorn appearance during the month of February. Despite the
completely frozen water surface and the uninterrupted exposure to bitter winds,
the area was not as lonely as one might assume at first sight.
“Late in the month, the ice cutters would put
in their appearance. Despite the warnings of doctors and public health
officials, who were beginning to express concerns regarding the pollution of
the bay by sewage and factory effluents, the ice cutters would take out over
60,000 tons of ice from Hamilton bay every winter. Not only was the ice needed
all summer for use in household ice boxes, the work provided by the ice
harvesting industry was desperately needed by poor families in the area to keep
them in food and fuel over the winter months.
“The traditional methods of ice harvesting
involved the use of cross-cut saws to cut the ice into squares which were then
hauled by skids onto sleighs to be taken to storage areas on shore.
“The modern methods of ice harvesting, devised
in the 1890s, involved cutting out long channels, often a mile or more in
length. The channels were cut by sharp-edged plows drawn by teams of horses.
The ice, cut into squares, would be pulled along the channels by men and women,
using long, sharp-pointed poles. The ice would be taken to shore, where it
would be elevated from the channel to the ice houses by means of a
steam-powered conveyor. As the ice was hauled up, each cake would have its face
shaved, ready for storage in saw dust.
“The two biggest employers during the ice
harvest of 1900 were the Magee-Walton company and the Builders’ Ice Association,
whose harvest would not only be sold locally, but also for sale across Southern
Ontario.
“Along the bay front, the boats of the summer
season, both large and small, would lie at their wharves at anchor, locked in
by the bay ice. The passenger steamers of the Hamilton Steamboat company would
rest at their wharves at the foot of James street, while MacKay’s wharf usually
held the Arabian, a Hamilton-built steep propeller owned by Captain Fairgrieve.
The Myles, a coal schooner, also built in Hamilton, was owned by the Myles Coal
company and it would spend winters at ret behind the company’s yards.
“In addition to these large vessels in their
winter quarters, there were usually several large sailing boats, among them the
W.F. Suffell, built in Port Hope, Ontario. Each of these large vessels in their
winter quarters would have a watchman living on board. These men were usually
members of the previous summer’s crew or else an old retired lake man. Because
of the lonely nature of their winter work, visitors were always welcome,
especially if they were accompanied with a full bottle of Scotch or Irish
whiskey.
“On a blizzardy night, the whistling of snow-laden
winds would awaken memories in the old sailors’ minds as they sat in the
captain’s quarters, feet up on the stove fronts, pipes in hands.
“Hamilton Bay in February, was, of course, a
prime center of attraction for those interested in ice-skating and ice boating.
Sometimes the ice would get slushy and not very good for skating. However a
prolonged thaw, followed by a quick cold snap and no substantial snowfall would
make the ice surface as smooth as a mirror.
“Ice boaters in particular, craved very
smooth ice conditions so that they could direct their craft at top speed,
straight towards innocent parties of skaters. Then, just as catastrophe was
seemingly about to occur, a quick turn of the tiller would send the ice boat
off in another direction.
“A favorite mecca for both ice skaters and
ice boater in February was the area along the Beach strip where large mounds of
ice were formed by the action of wind and waves sending up spray. The ice
hummocks would assume grotesque and awe-inspiring shapes, with huge mountains
of ice, punctuated by deep and dangerous crevasses leading to the cold water
below. The ice along the Beach was especially beautiful on moonlit nights as
young couples skated across the bay to explore them
“As quickly as they were formed, the ice
flows would disappear, as warming spring temperatures and strong west would
push them out into the lake. Soon the ice on the bay would gradually thaw as
the deep winter character of Hamilton Bay would give way to spring renewal.